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    Home / Recipes / Appetizers and Snacks

    Candied Caramel Cheetos

    By Heather · Published: Feb 2, 2018 · Updated: Nov 5, 2019 · This post may contain affiliate links · See the privacy policy linked in my footer.

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

    Don't knock these Candied Caramel Cheetos until you try them! They are the ultimate sweet and salty treat and leave you wanting so. many. more.  Candied Caramel Cheetos

    I'm on a bit of a snack-making kick lately and these Candied Caramel Cheetos have burrowed their way into my little heart in a big way. They kind of taste like a caramel + cheese popcorn hybrid with the crunch of a Cheeto.

    I realize that these are basically the epitome of junk food but ya' only live once! I'm a firm believer of all things in moderation and making a batch of these every Monday is totally moderation, right? Right. Know your limits, folks. 🙂

    If you can make caramel corn, and heck, even if you haven't you can make these!

    How to Make Candied Caramel Cheetos

    [brid autoplay="true" video="484766" player="19763" title="Candied Cheetos" duration="45" description="Candied Cheetos Recipe" uploaddate="2019-10-30 15:19:50" thumbnailurl="https://cdn.brid.tv/live/partners/15101/thumb/484766_t_1572449088.png"]

     

     Candied Caramel Cheetos or Coyote Droppings in a white bowl.

    Can I use crunchy Cheetos to make caramel Cheetos?

    People that know me (okay, maybe just my hubby and high school friends) know that I am a die hard Cheetos Puffs fan. If a bag of crunchy Cheetos is offered I'll probably take it, but puffs are definitely the way to go in my book.

    That said you can definitely make this recipe using crunchy Cheetos if you'd like. In fact, caramel covered regular Cheetos are usually called "Coyote Droppings" for some incredibly strange reason.

    Why Do I need to bake the Cheetos after putting the caramel sauce on them?

    Doing this will allow the caramel sauce to further cook and become hard and crunchy. If you were to skip the baking step you'd likely be left with Cheetos that were soggy and chewy.

    Candied Caramel Cheetos in a white bowl.

    If you're still on the fence about these, I don't blame you but I do hope you'll at least explore the idea of trying them. I don't want you missing out on your new favorite junk food. That would be sad.

    Want more fun sweet and salty snack recipes?

    • Sweet and Salty Popcorn Sundaes with Butterscotch Sauce and Hot Fudge
    • Court-side Crunch 7 Layer Bars
    Candied Caramel Cheetos In white bowl

    Candied Cheetos

    Don't knock these Candied Caramel Cheetos until you try them! They are the ultimate sweet and salty treat and leave you wanting so. many. more. 
    By Heather Cheney
    Print Pin Rate
    Prep Time: 10 minutes
    Cook Time: 1 hour
    Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
    Servings: 8 servings

    Ingredients

    • 1 bag Cheetos Puffs 8.5 ounce bag
    • ½ cup light corn syrup
    • ½ cup brown sugar
    • 4 tablespoons butter

    Instructions

    • Preheat oven to 250 degrees.
    • Pour Cheetos into a large mixing bowl.
    • Heat corn syrup, brown sugar, and butter over medium heat. Bring to a boil stirring frequently and allow to boil for one minute.
    • Pour caramel mixture over the Cheetos and stir until most pieces are well coated. Spread Cheetos evenly out on a lined baking sheet and place in oven for 15 minutes. Stir and continue to bake for an additional 15 minutes and stir, repeating this process 2 more times for a total of 60 minutes in the oven. When done, the caramel will be hard and Cheetos will be crunchy and not at all chewy.
    • Remove from oven, cool and break into pieces if needed.

    Chef's Notes:

    **Nutrition Facts do not include Cheetos as they are not part of our database. Please add that when calculating nutrition** Though, if you're eating candied Cheetos, I'm pretty sure you don't care. 🙂 

    Nutrition Facts

    Serving: 1 serving | Calories: 162 kcal | Carbohydrates: 29 g | Fat: 5 g | Saturated Fat: 3 g | Cholesterol: 15 mg | Sodium: 67 mg | Potassium: 18 mg | Sugar: 29 g | Vitamin A: 175 IU | Calcium: 16 mg | Iron: 0.1 mg

    Nutrition and Food Safety Disclosure

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Marcum says

      January 04, 2023 at 1:45 am

      5 stars
      Your recipe is really delicious and I have to geometry dash lite say it.

      Reply
    2. Val says

      December 10, 2022 at 2:58 pm

      5 stars
      Wow! I love Chicago mix popcorn(1/2 cheese/half caramel) and these are perfection! I used half dark and half light brown sugar only because I had them on hand. Thanks for sharing!

      Reply
    3. Wanda says

      March 08, 2021 at 6:25 pm

      Can you use paws to make this recipe

      Reply
    4. Susan Rush says

      February 28, 2020 at 8:19 am

      5 stars
      One of the ladies that worked early voting made these. A very big hit! Everybody wanted the recipe. They are delish!!!

      Reply
    5. Janet says

      December 25, 2019 at 11:48 am

      Do you need to let the liquid mixture cool at all before pouring over Cheetos? I was thinking it may make them dissolve.

      Reply
    6. mary Stephen says

      June 21, 2019 at 5:41 pm

      5 stars
      How long do these last? Can I make them ahead of time? How do I store them? THANKS

      Reply
    7. Marcia Pruitt says

      May 15, 2019 at 11:13 am

      What size bag of Cheetos did you use?

      Reply
      • Heather Cheney says

        August 07, 2019 at 1:43 pm

        8.5 ounce

        Reply
    8. Becky says

      December 23, 2018 at 11:22 am

      I wonder if you could add something spicy to them?

      Reply
    9. Mrs Niedoba says

      July 05, 2017 at 5:51 am

      I made 2 large bags of these for a 4th of July gathering. They were a hit! Although people were skeptical, once they tried them they couldn't stop themselves. Will make again for sure.

      Reply

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